July 27-29, 2012 • Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

Preconference Courses: July 26-27, 2012 • Professional Members’ Forum: July 30, 2012

Sessions

2020 Media Futures: Practicing What We Preach

Attendees will be challenged to consider and compare creative media strategies in this hybrid session, part case study, part creative workshop.

Greg Van Alstyne is an associate professor of design and co-founder of Strategic Innovation Lab at OCAD University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A Better Way to Assess Trends Literature

Futurists have few problems finding information on trends, but a major challenge is assessing the credibility of published material. In this highly interactive session, participants will be introduced to evidence-based research (EBR), an approach to critically evaluating literature that was pioneered by Carnegie Tech and is gaining favor in management.

James Gelatt is a professor and program director in the Doctor of Management program, Graduate School, University of Maryland University College, Palmyra, Virginia, USA

Accelerating the Paradigm Shift from Lecture-Centered to Technology-Enabled Active Learning Instructional Methods

Employers around the world are expressing increasing dissatisfaction with the degree to which college graduates can access, evaluate, and communicate information; can use information technology (IT) tools effectively; can think critically; can solve problems; and can work well in teams and with people from different cultural backgrounds.

James L. Morrison is professor emeritus of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as vice president (Division J, Postsecondary Education) of the American Educational Research Association and as founding editor of On the Horizon, The Technology Source, and Innovate. He is author and co-author of eight books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Asian Economies over the Next Decade

China and to a certain extent India are rapidly emerging as global economic powerhouses. This session draws a sketch of what that implies for the global economy and for research, technology, and innovation, while at the same time predicting major structural changes for the Asian economies.

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller is visiting senior research fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore; adjunct professor, Singapore Management University and Copenhagen Business School; member of the World Future Society’s Global Advisory Council; and former Danish ambassador to Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, and New Zealand, Singapore

Can Innovation Save the Planet?

The world is bumping up against multiple environmental and natural resource hurdles—climate change, peak oil, freshwater shortages, and rising prices for food, minerals, and commodities of all sorts. At the same time, a growing population and a surge in the wealth of the developing world are increasing consumption. Can innovation keep pace? What are the true limits to growth?

Ramez Naam is a professional technologist and author; he is a senior associate, Foresight Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA

Chemical Brain Preservation: How to Live "Forever"

About 57 million unique and precious human beings die every year, or 155,000 people every day. The memories and identities in their brains are permanently lost at present, but may not be in the near future.

John M. Smart is founder and president of the Acceleration Studies Foundation, Mountain View, California, USA

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